Waking Up To Ash and Dust
by go-sullivan
Summary: Most people her age would think having superpowers would be awesome. But Emily Fields just wants to be a normal teenager. But with A stalking her and her friends, that's not going to happen. And A isn't Emily's only problem. Superhero AU because reasons.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, guys! Here is a new fic from me. This thing just got into my head. So in between working on my other fics and studying, I give you this. A superhero AU inspired by when I did this fic prompt meme based where I asked for song lyrics and someone gave me "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons. Which is where I got the title... But damn if I didn't get carried away and made an outline with various story lines and planned sequels. If I can get there.

I do not own Pretty Little Liars. I do not own Radioactive.

* * *

><p>She missed the feel of the water on her skin. Emily sighed as she sat on the side of the pool. But it was probably a good thing she was no longer on the team. It would be unfair to the other swimmers.<p>

She had "gifts".

It gave her an edge. Over the other swimmers. Probably over everyone on the entire planet.

And her parents had raised her to be about fairness. But being fair sucked. It meant having to hide part of herself again.

Her parents were afraid that people were going to notice. But Emily Fields wasn't a quitter.

So when she used her gifts to save Aria and Mona from a speeding car that had A behind the wheel, she faked an injury after they fell.

It was that easy.

Of course. She had to make it look real. Everyone expected her to fight the injury so she had to reveal it in a very public way at a swim meet. Then she had to fake the X-ray. It wasn't hard. She just had to break into the doctor's office and alter the results. Being friends with Spencer had it's benefits.

She hated that it all made her parents fall under suspicion for hurting her. They couldn't hurt her if they tried. No one could.

That was the latest gift she had developed.

She had never gotten sick a day in her life. And now, she was becoming more and more invulnerable.

First it was her increasing speed. Then it was her increasing strength. It started out as above average, but she had crossed the line into superhuman.

And it all had to be another secret.

"I thought I'd find you here."

"Paige," She breathed out happily. She was happy to see her girlfriend. Paige made her feel normal. "You know me too well."

Emily was sitting on the side of the pool with the legs of her jeans rolled up and her feet dangling in the water. It was all she could do. She couldn't even swim in secret since it would risk her getting caught.

"It does make finding you so much easier." Paige teased. "Your parents are looking for you."

"And my mom called you?" Emily's brow furrowed. Her parents meant well by being overprotective, but she felt smothered. It was funny. Nothing could harm her, but they still tried to shield her from everything.

"She did." Paige nodded. "But we don't have to leave just yet."

"I miss it." Emily stared down into the pool. "It was how I could deal with everything. When everything got too stressful I would just get into the pool and all my problems would float away. Even for just a little while. I'd just go so fast it felt like I was flying. Completely free."

"How about this Friday, we head into the city and have dinner? Just the two of us. We can go to a club after. No one knows us there. Get away from it all."

"That sounds wonderful." Emily leaned in to plant a kiss on Paige's lips.

Paige gave a little blissful smile. "For you. Anything."

When Friday rolled around, Emily told her mom that she was sleeping over at Hanna's. But the truth was, she was getting ready at the Marin house and then Paige would be picking her up.

Hanna was sitting on the bed, watching her get ready. "Paige is gonna die when she sees you in that dress."

"It's not too much?" Emily asked, staring at herself in the mirror. The dress was a sapphire color with a bright sheen to it. It was strapless.

"No way. That's why it's perfect." Hanna admired her legs.

"Thanks." Emily smiled at her friend.

"Where are you going anyway?"

"Some place Paige knows. It's a surprise."

Emily loved how her girlfriend found ways to make her feel special.

"Ugh. I haven't been surprised like that in a long time. Caleb had this fever and has been getting these headaches. So we cuddle on his couch. I am a very hands on nurse." Hanna could always find the silver lining in anything.

"Tell Caleb I hope he feels better." Emily bit her lip.

"I will."

The doorbell rang.

"That's Paige." Emily's grin only increased as she walked to the door of the bedroom.

"Let me." Hanna stopped her. "I want to see the look on her face when you come down the stairs."

Hanna winked at her before leaving her bedroom.

Emily checked her makeup again in the mirror. She ran her hand through her hair to brush it out of her face. She took a deep breath. It was probably time to rescue her girlfriend from the blonde's impersonal questions.

Emily walked down the stairs. Paige was talking to Hanna. Her eyes grazed up and down her girlfriend's body. She had to stop her descent least she miss a step and end up tumbling down the stairs.

Paige turned then. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. She hadn't even noticed Hanna snapping a photo with her phone.

Emily went down the rest of the way and came to stand in front of her girlfriend. She kissed Paige. "I'm guessing you like the dress?"

Paige closed her mouth, and nodded. "You look amazing."

"So do you."

Paige was wearing a black halter dress that showed off her arms and back. Emily loved Paige's arms, but she loved having her arms wrapped around her the most. Paige dipped her head.

Hanna shoved her phone close to their faces. "I got a good shot. Look at your face."

"Hey!" Paige huffed. "Don't show that to anyone."

"I don't blame you. Emily's legs broke my brain too." Hanna laughed. "Just like your arms. Seriously, Paige?" She put her hand on Paige's arm.

"Okay." Emily shook her head in amusement at her friend's antics. "We are going to go now."

"Take care of her, Paige." Hanna's tone and smirk gave those words a charged meaning. "Or maybe Emily will be taking care of you. You two have fun."

Emily lead Paige out of the Marin house. "Sorry about her."

"Hanna is always entertaining." Paige laughed.

"I think she is itching to go out. Caleb is sick." Emily answered.

"Yeah. He looks rough." Paige supplied as she moved over to the driver's side. Emily missed holding her hand. "I dropped off some notes today since he's been out of class all week. There's something going around. Pru caught it too. She was miserable when I dropped by. And I think she's still getting over it. A fever then headaches that get worse before they got better. I thought I caught it too. But it was just allergies or something."

"Yeah? But if you had caught it. I would have taken such good care of you."

"And that's why I'm lucky. I have you. But Pru doesn't have anyone else, so she's stuck with me."

Emily and Paige's best friend, Prudence Cho, were civil with one another. The other girl was protective of Paige, just like the girls were of her.

"Hey. You're a great caretaker. Too bad because I've never gotten sick a day in my life. But I hope Pru feels better. And poor Caleb." Emily murmured back once they were both seated in the car.

"When he gets better, maybe we can do this again and invite them." Paige started the car.

"Like a double date?" Emily smirked as she picked up Paige's hand in her own.

"Yeah." Paige planted a kiss on her knuckles.

They drove into the city, talking about this or that until they pulled into the parking lot. It was nice not to think about her problems with A or with her powers.

It was Paige's turn to lead Emily to the entrance of the restaurant. It was a very low key door. There wasn't even a sign or anything telling people on the street what was there.

"I hope you like this place. The food here is really good." Paige put her hand on the small of Emily's back.

"It'll be fine. I'm looking forward to the company mostly." Emily leaned into her side.

Paige gave her name to the hostess. They were right on time for their reservation. The hostess brought them past a dining room where the walls were brown except for one red accent wall and black and white floor tiles to a private room.

Once the two of them were alone, Emily kissed Paige. But she sadly broke it off before the two of them got carried away. "Now I know why you got a private room."

Paige's face was flushed. "Not exactly but that is a happy accident."

"If you say so."

"I just thought it would be nice for it to be just us for awhile. Let me be selfish for a moment and have you all to myself." Paige cocked her head to the side as she pulled Emily's chair out for her.

"You're one of the least selfish people I know." Emily squeezed her shoulder before sitting down.

Paige was selfless. She had put herself in danger time and again for her and her friends. Lyndon James had kidnapped Paige and had her at his mercy, but she only thought of Emily's safety. Paige had saved Spencer from the Queen of Hearts on the Halloween train without a second thought. Someone like Paige could do so much with the powers Emily had.

"The Grilled Chicken Breast Morrocan is really good here. And so is the salmon." Paige was studying the menu.

"If that's what you recommend. How about we order both and just share?" Emily smiled, and maybe an appetizer?"

"I think that is a very good idea." Paige nodded.

"I'm not just a pretty face, you know." Emily teased."I come up with plenty of plans too."

"Beauty and brains. Deadly combination you have there." Paige smirked.

"And yet you managed to catch me. That speaks highly of you." Emily bit her lip.

Paige dipped her head. But once the waiter came to take their order, she was composed and back to her take charge attitude. She closed menu and smiled at their waiter, who introduced himself as Tim.

"To start, well have the bruschetta. And for the main course the Grilled Chicken Breast Morrocan and the Pan-Seared Salmon with Balsalmic Glaze."

"I can tell you have excellent taste." The man stole a glance at Emily. "And to drink?"

"A bottle of the Truchard Roussanne 2010 please." Paige said looking at the wine list.

"Of course." Their waiter nodded as he picked up the menus. "I will be back with your orders once they come out."

Once they were alone again, Emily let out a laugh of relief. "I was waiting for him to ask to see our IDs."

"I think our waiter was a little focused on something else. And can't say that I blame him. You look very mature in that dress." Paige winked.

"Stop it." Emily laughed. "I was ready." She had her fake ID on her.

"Me too. But the trick is to act like you are someone that gets a private room in the company of a beautiful woman and knows their wine pairings. Project the authority and confidence."

"You don't seem like the type to have to fake it."

"Before I was with you, I did. You helped me find the strength to do it." Paige took up Emily's hand in her own.

"Then I'm glad." They sat in comfortable silence until the waiter came back with their wine.

The man presented the label, to which Paige nodded. Next he opened it and showed them the cork. He poured Paige a glass. She swirled it around and smelled it. She nodded once again. He poured Emily a glass. He left the bottle before leaving the room.

"This is really good." Emily said as she took a second sip of wine. It was a sweet taste, a little fruity but that was all she knew about wine.

"I will admit to planning ahead. I looked up the wine pairings for anything you could have ordered from the menu." Paige winced. "When I say it out loud, it sounds crazy."

"Crazy prepared." Emily thought about their dates. From the picnic in the woods to the Hungry Owl Tavern to movie nights and take out, it was all meticulously planned. "It's cute that you studied for our date. Is that how you found about this place?"

"No. I've been here before. With my grandparents. They used to go here on dates. Which I guess explains why it has that old timey aesthetic. It's been around for awhile. With some renovations of course. But still the same."

"Thank you. For sharing it for me." Emily hoped for something so long lasting. A love that was eternal. With Paige.

"You know what this place is called?"

The name was not on the door or the menu. Emily couldn't even hazard a guess.

"The Alibi Room." Paige laughed.

Emily joined her. "It does feel like a black and white movie." The kind Spencer and Aria were into.

"It does. We had a reunion here once. It was like this "Noir" theme. And we dressed up. With a murder mystery to solve. Grandpa Alan loved Sam Spade."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was. But it was a game." Paige looked at her with concern. "I'm sorry."

It was one thing to play a murder mystery game and another thing to live it.

"It's fine." Emily felt bad for ruining the mood. She tried to make for lighter conversation. "What did you end up wearing?"

"Oh, this intense dress. Very complicated to put on."

"As hilarious as that is, I think I would have loved to see you in a suit. Top it off with a Fedora."

"I'll store that away for future reference." Paige cocked her head to the side. "Should I have worn a suit today?"

"I think you made the right choice for tonight." Emily bit her lip as she raked her eyes along Paige's bare shoulders. "For, for dancing."

"Just for dancing, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing else?"

It was now her turn to duck her head. Her face was warm. She manages to smile slyly though. "You know exactly what else."

The waiter chose that exact moment to interrupt what Paige was going to shoot back. He had their appetizer and set it down on the table. He also had brought them extra plates. "Your entrees will be out in a few more minutes."

"Thanks,Tim." Emily flashed him a kind smile.

He backed out of the room, apparently distracted enough that he hit his shoulder on the doorway. He played it off, but left the room quickly.

"You leave quite an impression on people." Paige chuckled.

"He's just being nice." Emily wanted to downplay what they had just witnessed. She reached out to the plate with bread and diced tomatoes on top. "This looks great."

"Well, eat up. You'll need plenty of energy for later tonight." Paige grinned. "You know, for dancing."

"You're awful." Emily frowned, but then laughed along with her girlfriend. She helped herself to one piece of bruschetta, as did Paige.

They chatted easily about their week. Emily was grateful for the chance to unwind and relax. She didn't know how much she needed this night until she was watching how brightly Paige's eyes shined when she was describing a funny story that happened when her parents were just outside Rosewood on the way to Scranton when they got a flat and Paige had to help them change the tire.

Tim came in balancing a tray on one hand. He set down their order on the table. "Enjoy. I'll check back with you all if you need anything else."

"I think I've got everything I need right here. But thank you, Tim." Paige answered while not taking her eyes off of Emily.

Emily wondered how she had been lucky enough to have such a charming girlfriend who was thoughtful and gorgeous. Paige made her feel loved. Paige made her feel normal. She grab her hand and interlaced their fingers.

She was sure Tim the Waiter had said something about leaving them alone. She didn't even check to see if Tim was there before she kissed Paige's knuckles.

"As much as I don't want to let go, I'm going to need my hand back." Paige teased. "Like I said we need the energy for later tonight."

"Oh, sorry." Emily looked sheepish.

"Here, try this." Paige cut a piece of salmon and fed it to her.

The taste hit her tongue and she moaned a bit. "Wow. That is really good."

"I've been told I have great taste." Paige smirked.

"Well, I am pretty great. Taste great, too." Emily had gotten her revenge from Paige's earlier teasing.

Unfortunately, Paige had just taken a sip of her wine. She almost spat it out. But she must have swallowed it wrong because she started coughing. "You did that on purpose."

"Revenge is sweet." Emily smirked.

"You would know. Because you're so sweet." Paige winked.

"You're such a dork."

"But you love me." Paige leaned forward.

"Yeah. I do." Emily leaned in as well. They were dangerously close to one another. She closed the distance between them only for Paige to take a bite of chicken at the moment.

Emily laughed. "I swear I'm starting to rethink that."

Paige swallowed the chicken. "Nope. Too late. You said it and you can't take it back now."

They ate the rest of their dinner, spending the time joking and just enjoying their time together. They shared dessert in the form of a slice of German chocolate cake. Paige paid their bill with great protest from Emily. Paige didn't have to break the bank for her.

"I don't mind, Emily. I wanted to do something nice for you."

"Okay. But next time let me do something nice for you." Emily held her hand and lead her out of the restaurant. "Just being with you is enough." She kissed her girlfriend.

"Pay me back in kisses and it's a deal." Paige laughed as they went to the car.

Emily felt a little buzzed. She wondered if Paige felt the same way, but then again she had more glasses of wine then her girlfriend. It took a lot of alcohol to get Emily drunk. She wondered if that had anything to do with how she was different. It probably did.

"What are you thinking about?" Paige asked as they caught a red light on the way to the club.

"Oh, just how much I'm looking forward to dancing with you." Emily knew that Paige was a little shy when it came to dancing. She had to be coaxed out onto the dance floor, but she usually loosened up and had fun. Paige was a really great dancer when she stopped being so self-conscious.

"Well, I can go all night with you." Paige smirked. The light turned green. It was only a few more blocks to the club. Paige started to pull the car into valet.

"Paige, no. You already spent so much tonight. I'm okay with walking." Emily put her hand on top of Paige's.

Her girlfriend gave it some thought before driving one more block to the nearest parking lot. It wasn't much of a walk from the parked car to the end of the line. They didn't have to wait long before the bouncer spotted them and let them in. He didn't even check their fake IDs. He just gave a brief glance at them before waving them in.

"Do you want to get a drink or do you want to go straight to dancing?" Paige asked as she pushed through the crowd, holding onto Emily's hand.

"What do you think?" Emily pressed up against her girlfriend.

"Uh, dance floor it is." Paige had a dopey grin on her face.

"Yeah? I had this whole plan to convince you to start dancing."

"Really? Let's see it then."

"Well I was just going to give you a sultry look like this. And then I was going to kiss you like this." Emily caught Paige's lips with her own. Paige's lips were soft, but she wasn't gentle as she took the one between her own. She began lightly sucking on it before running her tongue across it. Paige groaned into the kiss.

"Oh, I like that plan. I like that plan a lot." Paige found them a spot on the dance floor.

The music was pulsing. Paige ran her hands down Emily's hips as they both swayed to the music. Every move Paige made was full of passion for Emily's body. They were so close, her heart raced in time to the beat of the song. They lost themselves to the music and each other's proximity. It wasn't hard to see why dancing was a vertical expression of horizontal desires.

She didn't know how many songs had passed because she was enjoying herself so much. She turned around so that her back was against Paige's front. She closed her eyes and smiled.

But that didn't last long as she became aware of someone coming to stand in front of her. Her eyes shot opened and she glared at the guy trying to dance with her. He looked exactly like the kind of guy that went to clubs to try and pick up girls, but only ended up making them uncomfortable. His hair was slicked back with gel and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. The grin on his face was predatory.

"Hey." The guy shouted.

"Sorry, I'm here with someone." Emily moved away from him as much as she could. She felt Paige tense up behind her.

"I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind taking a break." The guy's hand brushed her hips.

"She's not my friend. She's my girlfriend." Emily pushed his hand off of her.

"Get lost." Paige stepped in front Emily, using her body to shield her from him.

This didn't stop the guy from reaching around Paige and grabbing her arm.

"Hey, I'm not opposed to a threeway. I like to watch."

Emily was fuming. She was trying to calm herself down. She knew she could really end up hurting this guy and put him through a wall. She took a deep breath and counted like her father taught her.

"Let go of her." Paige yelled as she shoved his shoulder. She started to lead Emily off the dance floor, but the guy squeezed Emily's ass.

Before Emily could count to three, Paige punched the guy in the face. The guy staggered back as he brought his hand up to his jaw.

"You fucking dyke." The guys spat out.

Emily was shaking no one spoke to her girlfriend like that. No one should speak to anyone like that. She took a step towards the guy but a burly bouncer showed up.

"This bitch just punched me."

"Then you probably deserved it." The bouncer boomed at him. "Are you okay, Miss?"

Emily was still shaking, so Paige answered for her. "He groped her. What kind of club lets garbage like this in?"

"Shut the fuck up!" The guy surged forward, but the bouncer picked him up.

"Oh hell no. Garbage is right. Time to take out the trash." The crowd parted as the large man carried towards a side door.

Paige lead Emily to the bar. She held her close. Emily appreciated the support.

"Can we get a glass of water?" Paige shouted at the bartender.

"Sure thing, sweetie." The woman behind the bar nodded. She filled a glass up with water. She set it down in front of them. "Nice right hook there by the way. Asshole deserved it."

"Uh, thanks." Paige scrunched her face up as the bartender went to take care of another customer.

Emily hated when this happened. Her head always felt fuzzy, but everything else was so clear around her. Time slowed down. She could see and hear everything. It was like her body was ready for a fight. This feeling came in handy in the pool and during meets. There she could focus. But when she or someone she loved was in danger, it was hard to calm down. It was like everything her father taught her went out the window. She needed her parents or her friends to steady her. She needed Paige.

"Are you okay, Em?" Paige cupped her cheek gently.

Emily nodded, as she leaned into her girlfriend's touch. She took a deep breath, and picked up the glass of water. She took a sip. She put the glass down. "Can we just leave?"

"Sure." Paige smiled at her gently.

The two of them walked out of the club. There weren't that many people on the street. Emily hadn't thought it was that late. But once they made it to the parking lot, it was deserted. Paige had her arm around her shoulder, just pulled her closer.

"Hey!"

They both turned around. The guy that had harassed them was standing behind them. He was close enough to them that she could see a bruise forming where Paige had punched him.

"Unless you want another beatdown, keep walking." Paige stepped towards him threateningly.

"You think you can just humiliate me. And walk away?" He pulled a gun out. "

"Seriously?" Paige raised an eyebrow. "Is your dick that small?"

"Paige!" Emily didn't understand why her girlfriend was mocking the man with the gun. They had to be careful. The last time she had been faced with a gun, Caleb had gotten shot.

"Shut up!" The guy struck Paige across the face.

Emily forced herself to move as everything slowed down. The guy turned to her startled. She reached for the gun just as he pulled the trigger. She stumbled into him with a gasp. The guy's eyes widened in shock as he pushed her to the ground. She fell to her knees.

"Oh God, Em!" Paige was at her side in a heartbeat.

Her head was pounding and her chest was tight. Her abdomen stung. She brought her hand up to the spot and winced. She felt a small hole in the material there.

Paige's hands covered her own. "Why didn't you just run when I was distracting him? I'm so sorry. Someone help us!"

"Paige-"

"Help!"

The agony in Paige's voice hurt more than the sting she felt. Tears were streaming down her face, mixing with the trail of blood flowing down the wound on her cheek.

"Paige! Look at me!" Emily gripped her hands tightly. "I'm okay. See? No blood." She held her hand up.

"He shot you. I saw-"

The pounding of feet on the asphalt altered them to the arrival of help.

"Hold on. The cops and the ambulance are on their way." There was a small crowd forming around them.

"We heard the gunshot."

"Is anyone hurt?"

"My girlfriend is bleeding. I'm fine. I just have a headache." Emily held her head. She hoped that stopped them from asking questions. She needed to come up with a story about what happened.

A woman in dress pants and a vest crouched next to Paige and held a handkerchief up to the cut on her cheek. Paige nodded her thanks and took over for her, holding the handkerchief up herself. Emily appreciated the fact that the men knew enough to hang back. She was a little weary of people at the moment.

"I should call my dad."

"You go ahead." The woman nodded. She was very fit and athletic. Emily thought she looked familiar.

She watched Paige as she took her phone out and called her father. Her girlfriend was studying her. Her hand was pressing the handkerchief to her cheek and her other hand was balled up into a tight fist. The woman had placed a jacket over her lap.

"Hey, Emmy. How is date night with my future daughter-in-law going?"

"It was going well. Until..." Emily sighed the sirens could be heard now.

"What happened?" Wayne's joking tone had completely disappeared.

"Paige is hurt." Emily sobbed. "It's all my fault."

"We're leaving for the city now. Just text me what hospital they're taking you to." She could hear him rushing around on the other end.

"Dad..." Emily didn't know how to tell her dad what had really happened. She thought that it could wait until they met at the hospital. The EMTs were checking on Paige. She ran over. One of the EMTs noticed her.

"Your girlfriend said you got shot?"

"No. He missed. Thank God. I guess I'm lucky." Emily nodded. "Is she okay?"

The EMT frowned. "They will be able to know once they run some tests at the hospital. She could have a concussion. Nasty cut on her face, too."

"I need to be with her." Emily gritted.

"Yeah. We'll need to check you out too. As a precaution." The EMT nodded. "We're going to St. Luke's. Now."

Emily got into the back of the ambulance before the EMT. Her partner climbed behind the wheel. The sirens whirled.

"Dad." Emily began.

"St. Luke's. I heard. We'll see you there."

Emily said goodbye and hung up. Paige was quiet. She was just staring at her. The EMT inspected all over her body.

"Okay. You didn't get shot. Not even grazed."

"I told you." Emily shook her head. "I think I would know if I got shot."

"Looks like you ripped your dress though." The EMT grinned.

"That's the least of my worries." Emily reached for Paige's hand. It was still clenched tightly. Paige didn't relax at her touch. So she just put her hands over hers.

The ride to the hospital wasn't that long. Soon the EMTs got Paige unloaded and wheeled into the hospital. The EMT listed off Paige's vital signs and medical things that were foreign to Emily. She did recognize the words probable head trauma.

"Are you with the young woman they just brought in?" A woman in light blue scrubs asked her.

"Yeah."

"The cops are going to want to talk to you." She said. "Are you okay?"

Emily exhaled slowly. "I will be. I don't know. I just need to see my girlfriend safe and smiling soon."

"I'll let you know when you can see her as soon as possible. My name is Nat." The woman was a little shorter than her and had a kind face.

"Hey, Nat. Can you help me out with this dressing?" A man in scrubs called out to her.

"Sure thing." She called back. "It's going to be all right." Her smile was so bright that Emily couldn't help but believe her.

Emily only nodded, and then went to go find a seat and wait. It wasn't long before a detective introduced himself to her.

"I'm Detective Cris Allen. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Um, my girlfriend and I went out dancing and this guy started to harass us. The bouncers threw him out. I think he waited for us in the parking lot. He had a gun." Emily closed her eyes. All she could see was the bastard hitting Paige across the face.

"Take your time."

Emily took a deep breathe. "He hit her. He hit Paige with the gun. She went down. I got angry and fought him for the gun. It went off. Then he ran."

"Can you describe this man for me?" The detective asked gently. He had a soothing voice.

Emily couldn't help but comply. "He had dark hair. I don't know if it was black or brown. Brown eyes. Strong jaw. He was wearing a red button up shirt. I wish I could tell you more. I was more focused on the gun."

"It's understandable. We'll ask the bouncers and the staff at the club. Check security cameras. We'll find him." Detective Allen nodded. "We may call you in for a line-up if we catch this guy."

"Thank you, Detective."

"Here's my card, if you remember anything else. Tell your girlfriend she can give her statement when she's up to it." The dark skinned man handed her a business card with his contact number.

"I'll be sure to call."

"Take care of yourself, Miss Fields."

Emily almost nodded, but she frowned. She had never told the man her name. The man walked off, a hand in his pocket.

She waited a moment before she followed him. The detective went out the door of the hospital. He walked over to the woman from the club that had lent Paige her jacket.

She wondered if he was interviewing her as a witness or if the two knew each other. Dealing with A had made her suspicious or everyone. Maybe she was just being too paranoid.

Still the man knew her name. It wasn't paranoia if people were really out to get you.

"Emily!"

She turned around at her name being called. How did people know her name? It was the nurse from earlier. "Hey. Paige is asking for you."

"Thank God."

"Let me take you to her." Nat the nurse led Emily to a small alcove. She pulled the sheet back.

Paige was laying on the hospital bed. Her eyes lit up when she saw Emily. "Hey."

She was speaking out the side of her mouth. There was a square of gauze on her cheek. Her smile was crooked, like she wanted to smile but couldn't properly either because of the gauze or the pain.

Emily felt the tears welling up again. This was all her fault.

"I'll give you some time before the doctor comes back." Nat smiled at them sweetly, and without waiting for a reply drew the curtain again.

"C'mere." Paige held her arm up. Emily quickly went to her side. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me? You're the one that got hurt. You're the one in the hospital bed. It's my fault. I'm the one that wanted to go out." Emily croaked out as she held on tightly.

"Hey. Look at me. This is nothing. You were," Paige closed her eyes and she grimaced. "The gun was there. So close to you, and then it went off. You could have died. I wasn't fast enough. Or strong enough. So I'm glad it's me here. In this hospital bed. Instead of you… Instead of you in the morgue."

There was a cough on the other side of the curtain. It was quickly pulled back again. And Nat was back but this time with a man in a lab coat and scrubs.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Parkinson. So you're Ms. McCullers's friend?" The man took in how close the two of them were, but didn't comment.

"How is she?"

"So I was initially worried about a brain injury since the EMTs reported you had some confusion about what happened. But that was probably because of the shock of it all. Not often you find yourself in a life or death situation."

Emily tried not to laugh bitterly. Tonight was supposed to be about getting away from all that. It was all messed up.

"I've spoken to your parents. They're on their way back from Chicago. But since they probably won't get back before tomorrow afternoon, you can go home with the Fields?" The young doctor looked down at his notes.

"My parents. So she's okay?"

"It's all clear. But you're going to have to observe her for the rest of the night. Something tells me you won't have any problems with that. Nat here, will give you a checklist of things to look out for. And also how to take care of the stitches. They'll need to be taken out in three days, but we've called the hospital in Rosewood and they can take care of that for you." Dr. Parkinson starting writing something on a prescription pad. "And here's," he tore the sheet off. "The meds I'm giving you. Take them when you feel any pain."

Emily looked away. She hated that she was the cause of all this. She should have stepped in sooner. She had the means to stop all of this before it happened, but instead her girlfriend acted. It was her girlfriend that was the hero. She just screwed things up. They were both so lucky that nothing bad happened. If one of them were going to end up in the morgue, it would have been Paige.

She already had a body count.

"Em?" Paige said gently. Her girlfriend was concerned at her having spaced out. The doctor and the nurse were pretending not to notice in order to give them privacy.

"So that's it for now. We'll wait on your parents to arrive. And I'll explain everything to them."

"Would that include a cover for why we were at a club?" The gauze on Paige's cheek made her give that half smile again as she joked.

"You're on your own for that one." Dr. Parkinson grinned. "If you need anything, feel free to come and find me."

"Or me." Nat smiled. The pair left to see to another patients.

"I didn't even think about how much trouble we would get into if we got caught going to the club. Using fake IDs." Emily put her hand up to her head. "I know it's not the worst thing that would happen but still… If we didn't go to the club then-"

"Shh. Calm down." Paige cupped Emily's face with her hands. "It can't be helped. But I'm sure your parents will be more than happy about you being okay. But you're probably going to be grounded. For the next thirty years." She grinned.

Emily started to laugh. "Knowing my mom it would be longer than that."

"Well, I'll wait for you to get out of stir." Paige joined in her laughter.

"Stir? Dug deep for that one."

"Yep. All the way back to the 1850s." Paige was studying her. "You know I'll always keep you safe, right?"

"I know." Emily leaned in closer so their foreheads could touch. "But let me do the same for you."

The curtain pulled open again. "Sorry to interrupt. But your parents are here."

Her mother rushed right over to her and embraced her tightly. Her dad waited briefly before he was hugging the two of them. "Emily, what were you thinking? Never mind. I'm just so relieved. Don't ever scare us like that again!"

Emily looked down at the floor. "Mom, I know. I was stupid. And I'm not the one that got hurt. Paige-"

"Oh Paige, sweetheart. I'm glad you're okay." Pam wrapped her arms around Paige, but was more careful. "Thank you for taking care of our Emily. But I am sorry you got hurt."

"It's just a flesh wound." Paige joked.

"Paige, I'm going to have borrow Emily." Wayne was frowning. Emily didn't like how that looked.

"Uh, sure."

"I'll see if I can get your mother on the phone." Pam patted Paige's leg.

"Thanks, Mrs. Fields." Paige smiled.

"I'll be back in a bit." Emily gave her girlfriend a chaste kiss on the cheek. Paige was a little nervous, but she didn't care that her parents were there. She could have lost Paige.

But her parents seemed to understand that.

Emily followed her father out of the emergency room and into an empty stairwell. "That could have gone worse."

"Dad, I'm sorry. It was my dumb idea to go to the club." Emily started to tear up.

"Emmy, it's okay. I really am glad you and Paige didn't get seriously hurt." Wayne shook his head. "So tell me what happened."

"This guy was bothering me at the club. He wouldn't take no for an answer. He grabbed me. And I was so angry, I could have hit him."

"Did you?"

"No. Paige did."

"Good for Paige."

"Dad! I don't want her punching anyone."

"But?"

"In a way, I'm glad she did because if she hadn't-"

"You would have punched him. And you were afraid that you'd lose control and put him through a wall."

Her father knew her so well. She nodded.

"You wouldn't have. You would have remembered your training."

The minute she started showing her strength when she was younger, her father helped by teaching her exercises to focus her powers and to not go at full strength. It was necessary. Their house would have doors that had been torn off their hinges and broken sinks. Emily cringed when she remembered how her dad had ended up with bruised ribs from her hugs. Now she always held back, but she had grown stronger and faster as she got older.

"But I wanted to."

Wayne waited for her to continue.

"He was waiting for us. He was mad that Paige made him look stupid. He pulled out a gun. And I hesitated. I could have stopped him right then and there. Quickly, taken him out. But for one second, I was afraid of showing my powers to Paige and losing her. That she would be afraid of me. And that's when he hit her."

Emily closed her eyes and shook. "He hurt her and I wanted to hurt him worse."

"But you didn't."

"I could have. When I was fighting him for the gun, I thought about how easy it would have been to break his arm. How easy it could have been to snap his neck and make sure he couldn't harass or hurt anyone else."

"It was the heat of the moment. Your life or his. You also had to think of Paige. You didn't kill him."

Emily knew she could kill someone. Because she had killed someone before.

Nate. Or actually Lyndon James. That was another moment she should have used her powers in front of Paige. She had already gotten her girlfriend mixed up in her drama and put her life in danger. If she exposed her powers then, it could have made everything worse. She had no choice but to run and lure Maya's killer from Paige and hope she could get away. She hadn't gone full speed, least Nate lose her and end up going back to Paige. The lighthouse hadn't been her best idea. But she had figured only one of them would be walking away from there, and she knew it would be her. When he tried to stab her, she accidentally stabbed him, and he died. But not before he aimed Caleb's gun at her and pulled the trigger. Somehow the bullet had hit Caleb instead.

"You're thinking about him." The way Wayne spoke was unlike him, filled with such anger and venom.

"Yes."

"Is what's bothering you not that you killed him or that you wanted to kill this man today, but you're afraid that it doesn't bother you as much as it should?" Wayne asked.

"I should feel awful. Less than human. But I knew it would be me or him. And I'm glad it was him. He killed Maya and he was going to make me watch as he killed Paige. I don't like how easy it comes to me. How easy I can end a life if loose control. This guy tonight was willing to kill us, yes. But what about the next person that wants to hurt us? How am I supposed to be judge, jury, and executioner? If I cross that line, what if I keep on going? Who will stop me?"

"That won't happen. And if it does, I'll stop you."

It was very reassuring. Her dad was good at keeping promises. They both hoped it would never come to that. Wayne hugged her again.

"Thanks, Dad." Emily gently returned the hug.

"You know you're grounded though, right?"

"I deserve that."

"Yep. We should get back to your ma and your Paige." Wayne patted her on the back.

"There's one more thing." Emily bit her lip.

"What is it?" Wayne sounded concerned.

"I did get shot." Emily put her hand on her stomach where there was a hole in her dress. "But this is the most damage it did to me."

"Hold on." Wayne took out his cellphone. He brought it up to his ear, and waited for the person he was calling to pick up. "Hello, Agent. Yes, I'm at the hospital so you can leave your detail. But I'm going to have you to order a team. You need to find this man, and you need to find him an hour ago. And I'll need another team to do a grid search of the parking lot with a radius of fifty feet. I'm looking for a bullet."


	2. Chapter 2

**SO here we have another chapter of Waking Up To Ash and Dust. Sorry it's been awhile for this fic. But man... sorry if you guys are waiting on an update on The Queen Has Been Overthrown and Every Chance We Get We Run. But as they say, Don't get sad. Get awesome. So As Long As The Day is Full of Time and Waking Up to Ash and Dust are just so much more easier.**

**This fic is unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. I don't own PLL. So like... i'm inspired by different superhero media and if this fic reminds you of any of that, congrats you have good taste. Read and Review?**

* * *

><p>The scar on her cheek was healing nicely, but Paige was going to always have a reminder of when she failed to protect Emily. She should have been faster. She should have been stronger. She should have fought harder. She could have lost Emily that night two weeks ago.<p>

But she could protect Emily in other ways. Not that Emily needed to be protected. After all she wasn't made of glass.

Far from it.

She was looking for a martial arts class, not so much for self defense but to defend her loved ones. In her free time, she would shop around for classes. Her dad taught her how to throw a punch before middle school. She had done Tae Kwon Do when she was younger, but stopped to focus on high school athletics. She didn't think Boxing was a good fit for what she was training for. After getting kidnapped by Lyndon James, Paige had started taking Muay Thai. It felt a little better so she would keep at it.

But getting the drop on a second time by a man that wanted to hurt her and Emily, had Paige scrambling for more training. So she searched for a Krav Maga class, and found one. It was going to be her second class.

She was surprised to find Spencer Hastings also in attendance. Just as surprised as the other girl was apparently.

"Paige?"

"Spencer. Good to know one of you guys is learning how to defend themselves." They were both dressed in loose clothing and had their hair tied back.

"Not just myself. But everyone I care about." Spencer glanced at the instructor who was calling the class to a start. "Let's talk after?"

Once the class ended, Spencer approached her again. "You're a fast learner. But I always knew that. Was this your first class?"

"Second." Paige grabbed her gym bag.

"I couldn't make it last Thursday." Spencer didn't explain further.

"You wanted to talk? Want to grab a bite to eat and talk somewhere?"

"Are you stalling?" Spencer smirked. "Didn't think you were scared of little ol' me."

Spencer was Emily's friend, but she hardly spoke to the girl without her girlfriend or one of the friendlier girls present. In her experience, talking to Spencer tended to end dramatically, from getting a penalty named after her to getting accused of murder. "Hardly."

"Look I know I can be... Intense, but I think we should form a partnership of sorts."

"If I didn't know better, I thought you were asking that we be friends."

Spencer frowned. "I thought we were friends."

Paige raised an eyebrow. "Okay?" She said the word slowly and with the upward inflection of a question.

"I guess I deserve that. Accusing you of killing Alison and Maya, and wanting to hurt Emily was so off base."

"If this is how you apologize-" Paige smirked. She remembered that day at the lockers, when Spencer had approached her. The words "I know who you are" got to her. She thought that Spencer was talking about something Alison had told her and it had scared her. But she had fought hard to crawl out of the blackness. And no one, least of all Spencer Hastings, was going to make her fall back into it.

That night after Lyndon James died, Paige figured that she wasn't going to get an apology from Spencer. That look from across the crime scene tape was all she was going to get. Then of course, there was Halloween when she saved Spencer from the Queen of Hearts. Spencer had thanked her and that was enough.

"I was wrong. I'm sorry. You're the last person that would hurt her." Spencer put her hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad we've reached that understanding. You know, the way Emily tells it an apology from Spencer Hastings is as rare as a unicorn. And I'll take it. Not that I needed it. As long as you get that I'll do anything to keep Emily safe than we're good." Paige accepted Spencer's apology not because she needed it. But because Spencer needed her to. "I like you Spencer. And I respect you and I feel that the respect is mutual, so friends it is."

"Good. Because as friends, I would like for you to go with me to attend a Tang Soo Do class. I mean, it's what Chuck Norris practices so it must be good." Spencer said quickly launching into her planning mode.

"Yeah. I was planning on going to that class anyway. I also think we should check out eskrima. It's this Filipino martial art-"

"Of course, we should check out eskrima. I think it would be good to have weapons training. I did some research on it. It a very practical teaching. I've had archery lessons since I was old enough to carry a bow, but you can really carry a bow and quivers on you at all times."

Paige wondered what Spencer was planning. But it made sense. Having your life continuously threatened would make anyone look into ways how to fight. Even though she wasn't the one whose life was constantly in danger, she wanted to fight. She wanted protect Emily and that protection extended to Emily's friends.

"Looks like we're having our talk now, but I still want to grab some dinner. I mean, we have a lot to talk about, so my treat." Paige offered as she nodded towards the door of the kickboxing studio.

Spencer's face lit up at the mention of food. She picked up her gym bag. "I know this awesome sub shop around the corner."

"Good because I don't want your blood sugar to get low. I've heard how you get." Paige teased as she picked up her own bag.

"You and Emily talk about me a lot." Spencer scrunched up her face.

"So do Hanna and Aria." Paige shrugged and opened the door for the girl.

"You hang out with Hanna and Aria?" Spencer's eyebrows shot up.

"Yes, I do. Because I'm a great listener and Emily wants me to be friends with her friends. Hanna and Aria were easy to approach. I've gone shopping with Hanna and made jewelry with Aria." Paige showed off the bracelet she was sporting on her wrist, made of pleather and metal. "You on the other hand had to be studied from all angles," Paige joked. "But if I knew all I had to do was buy you food…"

"Why does everyone think I'm scary?" Spencer pouted as they walked down the street.

Paige laughed. "You are scary. And it's good. I think the people in your life need a guard dog. You're like a Rottweiler. I mean that as a compliment. People think twice before messing with you and yours. Which is a trait I admire."

"Okay. I'm trying to take it as a complement."

"You should. We had a Rottweiler, a rescue, when I was younger. Ursa. She was very loyal and devoted to her family. Us. Very intelligent. And gentle with me. But would scare off anything that could have hurt me. You get what I'm saying?"

"I do. That you're a big marshmallow." Spencer teased.

Paige laughed. "So we're going to be those friends."

"Yeah. We are."

"Just a heads up. I give as good as I get." It was a little weird how easy they fell in step with each other. But that's what was going to happen. That or they would be at each other's throats. But that really wasn't who Paige was. While winning was everything to Spencer, it wasn't to her. Plus, she felt like she was so far ahead in the game, it actually wasn't fair.

"I'm looking forward to it." Spencer bumped her shoulder with her own.

"I wouldn't expect any less."

Spencer studied her, her eyes briefly landing on her cheek before looking away. "I'm glad that you're okay by the way."

"Thanks." Paige bit her lip. She tried not to talk about what happened. But that didn't stop the rumors that spread around school. That Paige got hurt saving Emily from a gang of bikers to that she was in an underground fight club. The only time she got angry with the gossips was when two girls were talking about how bad things always happened to the girls Emily were into and that Emily Fields was cursed. She was so angry Pru had to drag her away before she did something stupid.

"And I'm not going to gush about what a hero you were. Because that's just what you do. If something needs to be done, you do it. Like that night when you distracted the cops so Emily could comfort Hanna, and when you saved me on the Halloween Train. I didn't forget that you did that. What you did for us."

They were stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Paige looked down the street. She felt a little tense. "If someone needs my help, I will do everything I can to help them."

She started walking towards where she knew the sub shop was.

"But you still feel guilty. Like you didn't do everything you could to protect Emily that night." Spencer said as she walked faster to catch up. "I know what that's like. I feel like I'm not doing all I can to protect them. They count on me."

Paige knew that Spencer had spent time in Radley. The pressure of everything broke her. The minute she thought she failed her friends she collapsed under the weight of it all. "Thus you're going to all these martial arts classes and learning to fight. But what you really need is someone to help you carry the load."

"Exactly, as much as I hate to admit it. And that's what you need too."

It was true. She didn't want that person to be Emily. She knew Emily was dealing with something huge. Paige didn't want to give her one more thing to worry about.

Plus she wanted to keep an eye on Spencer. She didn't want the girl to end up in Radley again. Or worse. The girl was planning to do some weapons training. That could end badly. The way she saw it, once Spencer got something into her head, she would go through with it and not back down. Spencer was going to do this with or without her help. She might as well go along with her and maybe reign her in.

"Okay. I'm in." Paige nodded firmly. It was strange to have such a deep and heavy conversation with a girl she barely spoke to. But Spencer Hastings was very straight forward. The girl took the path full of resistance.

"Good. I knew I wouldn't have to say much to convince you. So let's eat. You're buying right?" Spencer strolled ahead victoriously.

"Am I going to regret making the offer to?" Paige said as looked skyward.

"Possibly. No, make that definitely." Spencer grinned as she held the door open to Sarge's Subs.

While Spencer was ordering, Paige sent Emily a text. Spencer ended up ordering a foot long called The Officer's Club, which had salami, roast beef, and turkey with provolone cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and hot peppers. Paige just got Turkey on a Kaiser bun. She got both of them kicked up to value meals, which included a bag of chips and a drink.

"That's all you're going to get?" Spencer looked at Paige's sandwich. She was holding their drinks. Ice Tea, Raspberry and Lemon respectively.

"Yes. Is that all you're going to get?" Paige chuckled.

"I'm a growing girl." Spencer flashed her a huge grin.

"I'm only teasing. I like a girl with a big appetite." Paige thought that an appetite for food translated into an appetite for certain horizontal activities. She didn't say that out loud, but Spencer seemed to get her meaning.

"So Emily? She's a big eater then?" Spencer was grinning and wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

"Mind out of the gutter, Hastings." Paige smirked, but still felt her face get warm. "Well, if we are going to be doing all this training, you'll need the calories." For a moment, Paige thought about maybe the reason Emily was a big eater because she needed more calories than normal. Like way more.

"Exactly." Spencer picked up her sandwich and took a huge bite.

"Eat clean. And I think we should add in some circuit training. And build up functional strength." Paige started making a mental list of exercises they could do.

"Alright, I'll let you handle that stuff and I will make us timetables. You know so we can still have time to study. And you'll still be swimming." Spencer seemed to be making a mental list as well.

"Who needs sleep right?" Paige popped a chip in her mouth. She was becoming more and more thankful to have Spencer be her partner in all of this.

"I'll be sure to pencil in some Emily time for you." Spencer winked.

"Yeah. It's only fair since I'm sure you're making room for getting a room with Toby. For that face time." Paige gave her a suggestive half smile in return.

Spencer fell quiet. "Toby and I aren't speaking."

"Oh. I'm sorry." While Emily spoke about her friends, the one thing she really didn't touch upon was her friends love lives. Well, Spencer and Aria at least. Emily didn't need to speak about Hanna and Caleb, because the blonde talked about it for all of them. She was friends with Caleb, but they didn't talk about their girlfriends when they hung out.

"It's okay. You couldn't have known." Spencer played with the straw in her cup.

Paige could sense that Spencer wanted to say something further. She waited for the girl to talk. She patiently ate her sandwich.

"Do you- Do you get irritated when Emily puts us before you?" Spencer didn't look up.

"I never feel like Emily puts you guys before me. I feel like she gives me just the right amount of time with her. I would never make her choose between her friends and being with me. She needs you guys." Paige studied Spencer.

"I wish Toby could be as understanding as you. Then again, he's not you and I'm not Emily." Spencer sighed. "For the record, she has never told us anything about you. I mean, nothing you wouldn't want us to know about you. She does tell us all about how cute you look when you laugh and how you get really determined and focused right before a meet."

"I know she wouldn't." Paige had told Emily all about how Alison had bullied her and how it had made her self destructive. She had hurt herself because it felt like the only thing she had control over in her life.

"But I'm not like Emily. I told them something Toby didn't want me to tell them. I was just trying to help, but I broke his trust." Spencer pressed her heel of hands into her eyes.

"I'm sure he'll forgive you." Toby seemed like a very level headed and laid back guy. He had to be to be dating Spencer. She picked up the other girl's hand and rubbed it with her thumb.

"Thanks. And sorry for throwing all of that at you." Spencer gave her a small smile.

"It's cool. We're friends, remember? It's what we do." Paige nodded with a grin.

Their moment was interrupted by the ring of a cell phone. Hers. Paige noticed how Spencer has tensed up at the ring, but she pretended not to notice as she answered. "It's Emily. Hey, Em."

"_Hey, babe. I just read your text that you're having dinner with Spencer?_" Emily said on the other end.

"Yep. You read that right. I'm sitting across from her right now." Paige looked at Spencer. She got an idea. "Do you not believe me?"

"_I can see you extending the olive branch, but Spencer not so much. Unless I made her. So if you're pretending to be having dinner with Spencer so I'll let her off the hook, please don't. I mean I'd believe it if Hanna or Aria were there._"

"I would never do that." Paige grinned. She so totally would. "Spencer, Emily doesn't believe you're with me. Just you and no handler."

"What! Hand me the phone." Spencer frowned. "Emily, I am hurt that you think I would not behave myself when I was with your girlfriend." She paused. "No, I don't need Aria to babysit me. And no, your girlfriend hasn't been physically harmed. What? Are you jealous that she's with me and not you? I thought you wanted us to be friends. Okay, so she did bribe me with food. But I'm going to return the favor. She asked me to tutor her, and I'm going to take the job, difficult as it may be. How does that sound? Good. Here's your girlfriend back."

"Hey." Paige said a little unsure.

"_You asked Spencer to tutor you?_"

"I did. I missed a few days of trig and don't want to fall behind." Paige glanced at Spencer, who was giving her a thumbs up. Spencer had just given them a cover story. But she grimaced since she knew Emily still blamed herself about the night after the club. She brought her free hand up to the scar on her cheek.

"_Okay. I understand._" Emily said weakly. There was that guilt rearing it's ugly head.

"How about I drop by when we're finished up here?" Paige soothed.

"_That would be wonderful._" Emily cheered up.

"I'll see you then."

"_I can't wait._" Paige could hear the smile in her voice.

"Bye, Em. I love you."

"_I love you, too._"

Paige ended the call.

Spencer was grinning at her. "Okay. Emily has got you wrapped around her finger. You are such a marshmallow. You're so fluffy I think I'm going to die."

"Eat your damn sandwich." Paige threw a chip at her.

"Keep that up and I won't tutor you."

"So that was for reals? You weren't just giving us a cover story?" Paige raised an eyebrow.

"It's both. We get a cover story and you get my help in bringing up your grades. I have a reputation to maintain after all. 100 percent success rate with everyone I tutored. Satisfaction guaranteed." Spencer took a bite out of her sandwich.

"You are very dedicated." Paige gave a nod and then burst out with a chuckle.

"You won't be laughing when you are rocking a higher grade point average." Spencer threw a chip at Paige and it hit her in the forehead.

"What the hell? Don't play with your food. The food I so generously paid for." Paige scoffed in mock hurt.

"Sorry, Mom." Spencer smirked as she sipped at her ice tea.

"Besides, I do pretty well without your help. Got into Stanford and everything." Paige winked.

"But you could be great." Spencer raised her fist in the air and looked like she was crushing imaginary enemies.

"Remember how we were talking about how people think you're scary. Giving what sounds like a supervillain trying to get the hero to join the dark side doesn't help."

"Join the dark side and rule by my side!" Spencer went further and then she grinned. "You're so lucky I only use my powers for good."

"Your intense color coding scheme and improbable aiming skills? I think the world is safe if you go rogue." Paige winked.

The two of them continued to chat while they finished up their sandwiches. Paige found that Spencer and her a lot in common. They had a similar sense of humor, which was great since they could play off of each other and do this witty banter thing. It was like they were trying to playfully one up each other. That was expected because they were both competitive. And maybe it was that they were so alike that they had trouble getting along at first.

"This was fun." Spencer said as they left the sub shop and headed back towards their cars.

"Don't sound so surprised. It hurts my feelings." Paige chuckled.

"You know what I mean. Sorry it took me so long." Spencer bit her lip sheepishly.

"Another Hastings apology. It's my lucky day. I should buy a lotto ticket or something." Paige joked.

"Fine. Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You will." Paige gave her a little salute. They both had AP Gov second period. Then of course they had planned to check out the eskrima class after school. Spencer already had the details since she had called before and knew that the instructor allowed walk ins. The first session was free.

"I better. I know where you live." Spencer fixed her with a serious gaze.

"See, I knew you were spying on me. Perv." Paige nudged her in the shoulder.

"No. If I were spying on you, you wouldn't even know it." Spencer shook her head.

"You think I'm sexy." Paige said in a sing-song voice. "And you hide in the bushes."

"God, what does your girlfriend see in you?" Spencer said in frustration.

"My girlfriend knows I'm sexy." Paige smirked. She noticed Spencer blushing. "I was only kidding about you hiding in the bushes outside my house. But you actually have done that."

"I've never done that in my life." Spencer shoved her away.

Paige didn't mind. "That's not what Emily said. She said you guys once creeped on Jenna."

"That was a shrub!" Spencer crossed her arms in front of her.

"I think this round goes to _moi_." Paige put her fist against her chest.

"It's not a competition!" Spencer huffed.

"You're right. You're no competition." Paige said, and then maybe she had thought she had gone too far. But Spencer shook her head with a grin.

"I like this. The challenge pleases me. I accept." Spencer cocked her head to the side.

"Again. What you shouldn't say if you want people to stop thinking you're scary."

Spencer laughed. She stopped in front of her Toyota Highlander. "Well this is me. This was a nice warm up. Looking forward to our next verbal judo match. So get ready to lose."

"Lose? I don't know the meaning of the word. All I do is win." Paige stood with her hands on her hips, chest out.

"Oh really?" Spencer opened the door to the driver's side and got behind the wheel.

"Hey, I won you over didn't I?" Paige leaned her arm against the roof of Spencer's car. She looked down at the seated girl and flashed her a confident grin.

Spencer huffed again. She shook her head as she reached around Paige to shut her door. "Watch your thick head."

Paige stepped back and rapped her knuckles against the side of her head. "I always do."

Spencer shut the car door and then rolled the window down with a grin. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Hastings." Paige smirked. She got the feeling that this would be her default expression when she was around the other girl.

"Bye, Marshmallow." Spencer laughed and drove off before Paige could retaliate with a comeback.

Paige shook her head she got in her own car and drove to Emily's house. She parked her car behind Emily's. She got out of her car and walked up to the porch. She rang the doorbell.

"Hello, Paige." Mrs. Fields greeted as she answered the door.

"Hi, Mrs. Fields. Sorry for showing up this late." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Just wanted to say good night to Emily."

"Oh, sweetie. It's not even nine yet. But come in. I'm sure Emily will be happy to see you." Mrs. Fields gave her a bright smile as Paige moved inside. "She's up in her room. Go on up."

"Thank you, Mrs. Fields. In case I don't see you before I leave, good night."

"Good night, dear." Mrs. Fields went back into the kitchen.

Paige went up the stairs and knocked on Emily's door.

"Come in." Emily called out to her.

Paige went inside with a grin. Emily had no idea it was her.

"Paige!" Emily jumped off her bed and came to stand in front of her. She hugged her tightly. Paige winced slightly at her excited girlfriend. "Sorry. Hey." Her girlfriend said shyly.

"Hey yourself." Paige pulled her closer. Emily leaned her forehead against Paige's. They looked into each other's eyes and then started laughing.

Emily kissed her. "Thank you for coming. I missed you."

"You saw me at school. We even had lunch together." Paige teased. "I get it though. I'm pretty awesome to be around."

"And so humble." Emily still had her hand at the small of her back. It was like she was reassuring herself that Paige was actually there. That she was safe.

Paige took Emily's other hand and kissed her knuckles. "I'm here, Em. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere."

"I know. I was just so scared." Emily lead them to the bed.

"Don't worry. I'm going to live a annoying, long life." Paige grinned as they sat down.

Emily touched the scar on her cheek. "I was stupid and now you have this. It could have been so much worse."

"You weren't stupid. I don't blame you." Paige pushed a strand of Emily's hand behind her ear. "If anything I was the stupid one, taunting the guy with a gun. I know you don't know to be protected. But I want to. I need to know you're safe."

"Let me keep you safe. And if I can't blame myself, then you can't blame yourself either." Emily kissed Paige's scar. Her cheek still felt a bit sensitive, so Paige let out a little groan in pleasure.

"Oh my gosh. Did I hurt you? I'm sorry." Emily pulled back in a panic.

"No. That felt nice. Really nice." Paige rushed to put her girlfriend at ease.

"Yeah? I know some other things that feel nice. Really nice." Emily shoved her down on the mattress playfully.

"Emily, your mom is still up." Paige stammered. She was a mix of aroused and nervous. Aroused because her girlfriend was on top of her. But nervous because Pam Fields could be scary and she didn't want to get on the woman's bad side. It was the worst combination to be.

"Yes, Emily. I'm still up." Mrs. Fields voice called from the hallway.

Paige leaped out of the bed. "Mrs. Fields! Hi. Um… I guess I should be going now."

"Mom!" Emily yelled at the intrusion.

"Emily, it's a school night. I don't want you to keep Paige out any longer. I'm sure her parents want her home." Mrs. Fields seemed to the find the situation amusing.

"Exactly. I have to leave and find a hole to swallow me up." Paige murmured. She hung her head. She couldn't look Mrs. Fields in the eye. Her shoulders were slumped. This was bad.

"Paige, don't worry about it." Mrs. Fields said softly and it made Paige feel relaxed.

"Yeah. Okay." Paige said brightly. She smiled.

Emily was studying her. She looked between her and her mother with her brows furrowed. She sighed.

"Don't you feel better?" Mrs. Fields asked.

"Sure do." Paige didn't know why she had made such a big deal about her girlfriend's mother catching them.

Emily sighed again.

"What's wrong, Em?" Paige asked her girlfriend.

"Nothing." She smiled tightly. "I'm glad you've calmed down."

"Alright then. I guess I should be heading out." Paige glanced at Mrs. Fields, who nodded. She gave them some privacy by leaving the room.

"Good night, Mrs. Fields." Paige said as the older woman got to the door.

"Good night, dear. Now don't take too long saying good bye." Mrs. Fields warned playfully.

With that, Paige turned back to her girlfriend. Emily was biting her lip. She had something on her mind.

"Paige." Emily caressed her jaw as she pulled away. "I'm..."

Emily didn't finish her sentence. She just let the words hang in the air.

"What is it, Em? You know you can tell me anything." Paige squeezed her shoulders.

"Can we meet after you finish up in the pool?" Emily asked.

"Of course." Paige smiled. Her girlfriend knew her schedule. And she wanted to catch up on the hours she had missed. But that probably wasn't what she had wanted to confess.

Emily kissed Paige on the lips. It was short and sweet. It was more than a kiss. It was a promise. It was reassurance. Paige knew her girlfriend wanted to tell her, but for whatever reason she couldn't.

"Sorry about my mom." Emily looked at her sadly. "I'll talk to her about what happened."

"Don't worry about it." Paige chuckled. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was."

"If you're sure." Emily tried again.

"I'm sure." Paige said. "Now stop stalling. I know you're trying to buy more time with me, but I need to get home. I'm sure my dad is ready to call the National Guard to search for me."

"He should know by now that this is the first place he should check." Emily laughed. "And beside, my dad is in the National Guard so you're easily found."

"See, I knew he had surveillance on me at all times. He has to keep watch on his little girl. I am nothing but on my best behavior." Paige held her hands up.

"I know. But sometimes its when I'm not on my best behavior that he has to worry about." Emily put her hands on Paige's chest.

"Don't tempt me." Paige grinned. "I have to go. Or your dad will send the National Guard after me. With guns and tanks."

"My dad loves you." Emily laughed. "And so does my mom."

"What about you. Do you love me?"

"Eh." Emily shrugged. "You're all right."

"Wow. Thanks. That should make it easier to leave." Paige made no move towards the door.

"But really, Paige. You're my strength. And my weakness." Emily had her hands on Paige again. "What would I be without you?"

Paige choked up at hearing the words flow from Emily's mouth. She couldn't think of a reply that would show just how much Emily meant to her. The words would come out wrong. They say actions speak louder than words. So Paige kissed Emily back, longer and harder, accepting her promise.

"You're really trying to get me in trouble with your mom here," Paige said when she ended the kiss.

Emily laughed. "Well, I wouldn't want that."

"I think your mom is scarier than the National Guard." Paige pulled away. She made it towards the door.

"Let me walk you out." Emily offered.

"Yeah. So we can continue this long goodbye in the driveway?" Paige chuckled.

"You caught me." Emily smirked.

The two of them held hands as they walked towards the front door. It was one more kiss before Emily finally said good night and the door closed behind her. Paige started towards her car.

"Paige."

"Mr. Fields!" Paige had fallen into a defensive stance with her hands up, ready to block or strike. That's how startled she had been by the appearance of her girlfriend's father.

"Sorry about that." The older man chuckled. "Shouldn't have crept up on you."

"No, it's fine. I was just saying goodnight to Emily." Paige rubbed the back of her head.

"You're a good kid, Paige." Mr. Fields nodded at her.

"Thank you, sir." Paige felt that Mr. Fields was assessing her.

"Relax. You look like you think I'm about to chew you out." Mr. Fields laughed again. "You won't be getting that from me. Let me walk you to your car."

"I appreciate that, sir." Paige accepted even though she was still nervous screwing up in front of the man.

"Emily is a very special girl. We both know that. And I count myself lucky to know that my daughter is with someone who not only treats her right. But also will do anything to protect her." Mr. Fields walked beside her. He waited for Paige to unlock the car door before he opened it.

"I would, sir." Paige got behind the wheel.

"And I believe you. Good night, Paige." Mr. Fields shut the door behind her.

"Good night, sir." Paige started her car and drove away. She glanced in her rearview mirror. Mr. Fields was still standing on the street, watching her drive off.

The whole exchange had been unnerving. Even though she was nervous when she spoke to Wayne Fields, Paige knew him to be an easy-going man with a wicked sense of humor. The first time she had met him, he had given her a stern look and asked what her intentions towards his daughter was. But she realized he was having her on when Emily and Pam started laughing.

But this conversation tonight was laced with seriousness and importance. Every parent wanted their child to end up with someone that thought the world of them and would support them. Paige got the feeling that this went beyond that.

Emily had a secret. And if that one on one she just had with Mr. Fields meant anything it was that he was in on it too. Probably Mrs. Fields as well.

She got the feeling that the other girls had no idea about Emily. Aria, Spencer, and Hanna were Emily's best friends but they were in the dark.

It was okay. Paige already knew. At least some of it. Paige could wait for Emily to share her secret with her. At first she felt a little hurt that she hadn't been told. It was as if Emily didn't trust her enough to tell her. Or that Emily thought so little of her to think that she would be afraid of her or think that she was a freak. But this wasn't about her. It was about Emily. Paige thought it was almost like coming out. There was this thing deep down about her, that she felt she had to hide. There was something about Emily that if she exposed herself it would change the world. And maybe in a bad way. Paige could see all the dangers that would come with people knowing about what Emily could do.

People would definitely treat her differently. That's why Paige had to protect Emily. She was sure nothing could physically hurt her girlfriend. But there were other pressures that could weigh her down.

And then were would be people that would want to use her. For personal gain, or as a weapon. Emily was too good a person to use her powers like that. But if someone forced her to. Someone like A.

Or worse than A. She thought of some shady government organization, that operated outside the law and there was no proof that it existed. They could take Emily. They could experiment on her, and turn her into something to be feared.

Paige was familiar with enough superhero tropes to be afraid for Emily.

Because Emily had superpowers.

That night in the parking lot, that bastard had shot Emily. Paige had seen it with her own eyes. Her girlfriend had moved faster than anyone possibly could. Emily and the Fields were trying to cover it up. In the hospital, that was when she felt the most hurt at being lied to. The EMTs and doctors treated her story like it was a symptom of a head injury. And for a bit she thought she was going crazy. But she had to get over it. And she did.

Everything told her it was a dangerous secret to keep. But Paige was going to keep it. And if knowing the secret, if knowing Emily made her a target than she would be ready. No one was going to use her to get to Emily.

When she got home, Paige said goodnight to her parents and grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen. Then she went straight to her room. The minute she stepped inside, she knew something was wrong. Someone had been in her room.

"Mom?" Paige called out.

Her mother had just come up the stairs. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"Did you go into my room?" She hoped her tone wasn't coming off as rude, but she was a little on edge.

"You keep it so neat and tidy, I really don't need to daughter of mine." Beth McCullers grinned. "Unless you want me to go poking around your stuff and read your diary."

"I don't keep a diary." Paige tried for a smile.

"I know. Which is what I told your father when he wanted to read it. You know how he gets." Her mother shook her head.

Nick McCullers was good at worrying. But he wasn't very good on acting on it. He acted without thinking, a trait Paige got from him. It usually ending in him getting scolded by her mother or yelled at by Pam Fields that one time. Paige knew that when she stopped talking to her parents when she was dealing with her sexuality and with Alison, her father wanted answers. His brilliant solution was to read her non-existent diary. Which amused her mother to no end and she never let him forget it.

After she ended up in the emergency room a couple of days ago, her father was ready to never let her out of the house. But Mrs. Fields got him calmed down. It was very strange, but Paige was grateful for it. Her dad wasn't completely sold on the self defense classes, but her mom convinced him it would be good for her. He ended up agreeing as long as she could balance it with swimming and school.

"How was your class, Batwoman?" Beth teased her daughter.

"Mom! I should have never lent you those comics." Paige rubbed her temple. Her mother was one of those moms that tried to take an interest in what her daughter was interested in. It was how her mom ended up a huge fan of Arcade Fire.

"Too late." Beth McCullers deadpanned. "So?"

"Well, I learned some basic moves. I really enjoy it. And Spencer Hastings was there." Paige supplied. She had talked to her mother about Emily and her friends enough times for her mom to find that interesting.

"That scary and intense friend of Emily's?" Beth laughed.

"Yes. That's the one."

"I know her mother. We've played tennis before and let me just say scary and intense runs in the family. Well, I'll let you go. I know how much you want to text your girlfriend until you both fall asleep." Beth smirked, letting anyone that saw it know where Paige inherited the expression from.

"I'm just going to go now." Paige shut the door behind her.

Someone had definitely been in her room. Nothing seemed out of place. It would have been obvious if room had been trashed and turned upside down. Whoever had been here, didn't want her to notice.

But she did.

The first suspect that came to mind was A, who had broken into Emily and the other girls' homes before. But A wanted her targets to know they had just been visited most of the time. A left a mark. A wanted their fear.

This didn't feel like that.

She didn't know who it could be, but she knew what they were looking for.

Paige went to sit down on her bed. She picked up her laptop. She didn't want them to know she was onto them, just in case they were still watching. She checked her email. Already she had gotten an email from Spencer with the subject of "Schedule of Activities." She opened it and saw there was an attachment. She smirked and shot back a reply.

She glanced around her room. Maybe they wanted her to know they had been in here. But she couldn't figure out why. Her trophies and ribbons had been touched. Her bed had been remade with the pillows facing a different way. Some of her books were out of order. She kept her multivitamins and other supplements by her bed. A bottle was facing the other way. That was what had her worried the most.

She picked up the bottle of iron tablets. The things were huge. But it wasn't her hiding spot. She just had to take her iron supplement. Her sense of humor wanted to make a joke about lead supplements, but she couldn't really form one that worked and lead was toxic to humans. It was probably good that she hadn't said anything out loud. Even if no one was around to hear (She wasn't sure about that one, maybe her room had been bugged), it would have been awkward and awful. She shook out a tablet and swallowed it.

Besides bullets weren't made out of lead.

She was sure they hadn't found what they were looking for. The smoking gun they needed. Or bullet actually. That bastard had shot Emily.

But the bullet had just bounced off of her. Paige had found it by chance, her fingers wrapping around it that night and slipping it into her clutch.

She was going to make sure she could keep something like that close to her when she could. When she had asked Aria about making jewelry, the girl's eyes had lit up with excitement. It seemed that it was an interest that none of her friends shared. Aria helped her once she had gotten all the materials. Pleather and metal made for an interesting piece.

Paige showered and got ready for bed. She got under the covers. She ran her fingers along the cool metal in her bracelet. The scar on her cheek wasn't the only reminder of that night. The bullet was a challenge to do better. To be better. She might not lose Emily to a bullet or a knife, but she could lose her.

She couldn't just be Emily's protector, she had to be her support as well.


End file.
